Application of the 10-item Cervantes Scale among mid-aged Ecuadorian women for the assessment of menopausal symptoms

Background The majority of instruments used to evaluate menopausal symptoms are long and complex. In this sense, more simple tests are being designed to rapidly obtain a snapshot of the global clinical picture. Objective To assess menopausal symptoms in mid-aged women using the short 10 item version of the original menopause Cervantes Scale (CS-10). Method This was a cross sectional study in which a total of 451 Ecuadorian women (40-59 years) were surveyed with the CS-10 and a general socio-demographic questionnaire containing personal and partner data. Results Median age of the whole sample was 48 years. A 41.2% were postmenopausal, 44.3% abdominally obese (waist circumference >88 cm), 6% diabetic, 16.9% hypertense, 11.5% smoked, 6.9% currently used hormone therapy, 9.5% phytoestrogens and 6.7% psychotropic drugs. For the entire sample, median [interquartile range] CS-10 global scores were 10.0 [9.5], and for pre-, peri- and postmenopausal women: 5.0 [7.0], 11.0 [9.0] and 13.5 [8.0], respectively. The CS-10 displayed good internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha 0.87). According to the CS-10, the three most prevalent menopausal symptoms were: muscle and joint pains (88.5%), hot flushes (77.6%) and skin dryness (71.4%). Multiple linear regression analysis found that postmenopausal status, parity, unhealthy perceived status, psychotropic drug use, partner erectile dysfunction, lower coital frequency and living at high altitude were related to higher CS-10 global scores. Conclusion In this mid-aged Ecuadorian female sample severity of menopausal symptoms, as determined by the CS-10, were related to environmental and female/partner personal and socio-demographical aspects.